The Summit Stage works very well, serving all the resorts and towns of Summit County. It's still a bus, of course, so you've got to figure out and work around its schedule, and it takes longer than driving by car. There may be transfer involved on some routes, but it typically arrives and departs every half hour at most stops in the winter, during the day. It is reliable, cheap (free!), and sometimes even more convenient than driving, parking, and taking the in-resort shuttle to various base areas anyway.

Copper raised the standards on all their lodging last year. A silver is pretty nice, I can't specifically say what it doesn't have compared to a Gold. Then again, I'd have no problem staying in a Bronze unit. There may be a tradeoff - I'd take a 1 bedroom Bronze unit before a Silver studio/hotel unit. Really there's nowhere at Copper that's more than a 5 minute walk to the lifts.

Here's a tip - if you're looking for a Silver unit that's close to the lifts and the Center village, ask for one of these buildings: Copper Junction, Mountain Plaza, Village Square, Spruce Lodge. Also try Copper One, though I'm not sure anything there is a Silver. If you're looking for a Silver unit close to the East village (quicker chairlift, less crowds, less nightlife) try Copper Springs or Foxpine. Keep in mind that units vary widely - it's really hard to guess what a unit will be like although the rating does guarentee some amenities.